What do you mean “Christmas” was happening long before Jesus was born? Of course, it wasn’t called Christmas. Still, the mardi-gras type celebrations of the winter solstice and the sun gods have been around for a very long time. So, when did it become a Christian holiday? Where did all the other Christian and secular traditions originate? What does this all mean for the men of HolySmokes?

Is this a Santa-Claus secular holiday? Or, is Jesus the reason for the season. Well…both, actually.

This was an eye opening video. And, all of the guys felt much more educated and relieved to know the real meanings of Christmas. This is a 40 minute video and worth every minute. Check it out here:

Initially, this was a buzz kill for some of the guys. They thought that Christmas has been celebrated – just as we do it now – from the beginning. What a shocker to learn that our current traditions have been around only since the mid-1800s. Ebenezer Scrooge, as it turns out, represented the typical attitude of most people. He wasn’t the odd, selfish, greedy guy we all consider him today.

You mean most of the traditions of Christmas were made up at some point and we are not obligated to blindly continue them? Right. Indeed, we can concentrate on doing only those holiday traditions we enjoy, and are free to make up new ones of our own. Many guys are going to start new traditions in their family that focus on improving relationships and being thankful. But…we will no longer begrudge those who celebrate “Christmas” yet have no personal interest in faith or religion.

Because, our attitudes have changed. There has been such pressure around the ownership and meaning of Christmas in recent decades, that it was nice – for the christians in the group – to know that nobody is trying to take over our holiday. Indeed, we hijacked theirs long ago. And..here is the best part…the co-existence of the faith based celebrations of Jesus birth, and the cultural energy of santa claus and shopping, are perfect partners.

We became a bit more educated tonight. And all of us will feel more free to enjoy our version of Christmas this year as a result.